Freeway Ramp Reconfigurations Posted

Some MAJOR reconfigurations to local freeway on/off ramps and another project wrapping up! You can tell the seasons are changing from construction to fall. All the updates for next week's road constructions are on the home page at www.SpokaneRoadFix.net.

WSDOT Not Endorsing Red Light Cameras For Safety (But They're Also Not NOT Endorsing Them)

On my favorite subject (just because it always seems to spur conversation), the Washington State Department of Transportation says there simply isn't enough data at this point to say red light cameras increase safety.

The state has primary responsibility for traffic signals on state highways that run through cities with fewer than 25,000 people. Cities of that size need state approval to install enforcement cameras along highways. The Bellingham Herald has more.

Couple Construction Items From The City of Spokane

The Nevada St. project will wrap up next week and reopen to motorists by Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Division St. near its intersection with Riverside Ave. will be reduced by two lanes Monday, Oct. 3, through Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day.

Deer/Vehicle Collisions Down- Except In Idaho

For the third consecutive year, the number of deer-vehicle collisions in the U.S. has dropped- except in Idaho.

State Farm® Insurance estimates 1.09 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the U.S. between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. That’s 9 percent less than three years ago and 7 percent fewer than one year ago. Here are more details from the Idaho State Journal.

Certification Planning Review Prelim Results

Just got out of our 'Exit Interview' with the Federal folks for our Certification Planning Review. Every four years, Metropolitan Planning Organizations such as SRTC are required to go through a certification review with the Federal Highways Administration and Federal Transit Administration. We've been doing that this week and just got some preliminary results. A report will be typed up and submitted to us in approximately 30 days that includes some recommendations and possibly corrective actions, but in the meantime, here's a little of what we heard today:

- SRTC needs to document our process for coordinating and consulting with area Native American Tribes.

- The process used to develop our Transportation Improvement Program needs some streamlining and cleaning up.

- The process of choosing members for the Transportation Advisory Committee needs some rethinking as TAC members currently choose additional TAC members.

- SRTC's Memorandum of Understanding with other agencies needs to be updated.

- Need to develop a Memorandum or Understanding with our neighbors to the east, Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization and Idaho Transportation Department.

There were also some commendations:

- The SRTC Board was commended for initiating change in management of the agency.

- The Board was recongnized for its insight on commissioning the Transportation Vision Project.

- The Inland Pacific Hub was recognized as a project that involves the entire region and encourages discussion and input on transportation and freight movement.

- SRTC was commended for pursuing the HUD Sustainable Communities Planning Grant (which we're working feverishly on this week)

- We're doing a good job coordinating with Spokane Transit.

So there you go. When I get the official report, I'll post it on our website and provide a link. In the meantime, any thoughts?

Number Of Seattle Bicyclists Makes Big Jump

Holy cow Seattle, you've outdone yourself! The number of Seattle residents who bike to work increased 22 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to an analysis of census data by the League of American Bicyclists!

That puts Seattle as number two on the list of large cities in terms of how many people bike to work, behind Portland. Here's more from the Seattle PI.

Spokane Counld Non-Stop Daily Flight To L.A.

Nonstop daily flights between Spokane and Los Angeles could start again with the help of federal funds. Spokane International Airport has been approved for a federal grant to lure and market such flights. The Spokesman-Review has the story.

Here's What We Heard From The Public Last Night

We held our public meeting for our Certification Planning Review last night to ask the public how they feel the transportation planning process is going. Here's some of the feedback we heard:

- Put money into finishing the North Spokane Corridor before spending it on projects like Bridging the valley.

- Roads dominate the transportation planning process. Other modes of transportation deserve increased attention.

- The planning process needs to be more responsive to public comment.

- Find ways to get the the elderly and those with disabilities to jobs and services in the face of STA service cuts.

- Take a closer look at land use when planning for transportation.

Is there anything you have to add?

Certification Planning Review Update

Taking a break from the first session of our Certification Planning Review with the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit and Washington State Department of Transportation. So far we've talked about concerns and issues the agency has (funding and reauthorization of a Federal Transportation Bill) and highlighted some of the major projects SRTC and STA have worked on in the past year, such as the Transportation Vision Project, the Inland Pacific Hub, and STA's High Performance Transit Network. So far, so good.

Train Catches Fire, SRTC Employees Inconvenienced By Forced Break Time

Here's the reason our office was evacuated yesterday and we spent almost an hour outside complaining about the cold and how this was putting us behind on our work. Us government workers, we REALLY like to work. Or maybe we just don't like fire alarms on the first chilly day of the season; hard to say. Things sure have changed since school when you HOPED someone would pull the fire alarm to buy you some time to goof off.

Park Road Reconstruction Project Open House

Spokane Valley staff next week will host an open house to give citizens and businesses an opportunity to discuss the design and potential impacts of the proposed Park Road Reconstruction Project.

The project will take place between Indiana and Broadway Avenue on Park Road. The entire street from Indiana to Broadway will be restriped to a single lane in each direction with bike lanes and a center turn lane.

The intersection at Park and Broadway will be repaved with concrete, and a right turn lane from westbound Broadway onto Park northbound may be added. Concrete will also be installed at the Park and Mission intersection.

Storm water drainage improvements will be made and sidewalks repaired or upgraded to Americans with Disabilities Act standards throughout the entire project area.

Currently, City engineers do not have a set timeline for this project. Dates for construction will be determined as property right-of-way and funding is acquired.

Your participation and comments at the Open House will help lessen the impact of future construction on residents and businesses. Staff and City Officials will be on hand to answer any of your questions and explain project details. More information can be found here.

The meeting is Monday, October 3 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the Commons Area at Seth Woodard Elementary.

Transportation Roundup For Week Of Sept. 26

Construction wraps up on Second Ave. and a party follows, a decline in gas consumption could affect gattempts to finance highway construction projects and business owners and residents along the lower portions of North Monroe Street are invited to an open house to talk about improving the streetscape. Find out all that's happening in local transportation this week from the Spokesman-Review's 'Getting There' column.

Subtle Hint?

I stole this picture off a friend's Facebook page from his trip to New York. Apparently this sign is in Times Square. I love it that they have a 'Metropolitan Etiquette Authority.'

Proposed Bill Would Maintain Highway & Transit Funding

2012 highway and transit funding would be maintained at current levels under a bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee late last week. The committee proposes $41.1 billion for highways and $8.34 for transit, compared to the House’s proposal of $27 billion and $5.2 billion respectively.

You can find more details on the Transportation Issues Daily blog.

SRTC Certification Review Public Meeting Tomorrow

Don't forget that tomorrow is the public meeting for SRTC's Planning Certification Review. Federal law requires that all Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs, of which SRTC is one) have a Planning Certification Review every four years, and ours starts tomorrow and goes through Thursday.

The process involves staff from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration reviewing documents and programs we have worked on in the past four years, to make sure we're meeting all of our goals and federal guidelines. There is also two days of interviews with our Director and various staff members to cover all the areas of the review, including the Unified Planning Work Program, the transportation planning process, the Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program, financial planning, project selection, air quality, public outreach, Title VI, transportation safety and security, land use and livability and MUCH more.

While a large part of the Certification Review is us sitting in a room answering questions, you also play a part. A public meeting is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) night to provide you opportunity to express thoughts and comments on the transportation planning process and how it meets the needs of the area. The meeting is from 5:30-7 p.m. at SRTC, 221 W. First Ave., Suite 310, Spokane, WA.

Check Out Our New Website

If you haven't checked it out yet, click here to see SRTC's new website at www.srtc.org. The new site is much more user-friendly and formatted to make a large amount of information accessible, while still being easy to navigate.

There are a couple new features on the site that our old one didn't have: a page specifically for maps so you don't have to dig through other content to find them; direct links to major projects and documents SRTC has developed or contributed to in the past or is currently working on; a page devoted to transportation modeling for those not familiar with it; and information on the many forms of local, state and federal funding available for transportation locally.

City Names New Planning Director

The City of Spokane has a new planning director. Scott Chesney has a strong background in urban planning and is excited about the opportunity to work in Spokane, according to Mayor Verner.

Chesney was a top pick of the selection committee for the position, an advisory committee of Planning Department staff, and a neighborhood committee that helped with the selection process.

Chesney has worked in redevelopment planning and implementation for 20 years. Most recently, he served as Director of Planning and Development in El Mirage, Ariz. He also worked as the Director of Community Development in Surprise, Ariz., and served as principal for his own urban planning consulting firm, Chesney & Associates. Our new Director, Kevin Wallace, worked with him while in Arizona, so we've already got that coordination going for us.

Trent Ave. Lane Restrictions & A Big Project Wrapping Up

It's Friday and you know what that means. No, not general debauchery over the weekend. That means it's time for you to take a look at the lane closures/construction projects starting or wrapping up in the coming week. They're all posted on the home page of www.SpokaneRoadFix.net.

New Parking Pay Stations Debut Today

Multi-space parking pay stations are debuting in part of downtown Spokane today. The stations allow you to pay for on-street parking with credit cards or coins.

A total of nine stations have been installed on Main Avenue between Lincoln and Wall streets, on Post Street between Main and Sprague avenues, and in the parking lot to the north of Spokane City Hall. A tenth station will be added soon.

A six-month demonstration of the technology will assess its success and determine the best way to roll out this or similar technology within the City. The Downtown Spokane Partnership is the City’s partner on the program.

The pay stations use a “pay by space” format that doesn’t require the customer to display a receipt in their vehicle window.

Parking rates, parking hours, and length of parking time for individual on-street parking spaces all remain the same. The parking stations only allow customers to pay for time when paid parking is enforced.

Within the next couple weeks, drivers also will be able to test a pay-by-phone service that requires people to set up an account on-line in advance of parking. Additionally, the City may test other smart parking technology in the future, including individual parking meters that take credit cards.

Couple of City Items

Bad news: due to some unforeseen circumstances, Mission Ave. will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 27, not tomorrow. What's a couple more days in the scheme of things though?

Good news (at least for the guys doing it): Crews will be inspecting the Latah Bridge using the Under Bridge Inspection Truck (UBIT) and will be rappelling off the bridge for some of this work. How do I get THAT job??